Islamabad , Pakistan -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- At least 28 people are dead and at least 218 others were wounded Wednesday after three blasts during a Shiite procession here , authorities in Pakistan said .

Khalid Ranjha , a Lahore government official , said two of the dead are children and two others are women , and seven of those injured are in critical condition .

The three explosions occurred within a radius of about 600 meters -LRB- 2,000 feet -RRB- .

All three blasts were the work of suicide bombers , said Nayab Haider , a spokesman for the Lahore police . Police tried to stop the first suicide bomber as the procession was ending , but he blew himself up as the police officer caught up with him in the crowd , Haider said .

Three or four minutes later , the second blast erupted . It was followed 25 minutes later by yet a third suicide bomber . Police have found two heads and one body separately , said Haider , who said authorities had assigned 2,500 police officers to the procession after receiving a warning that it might be attacked .

Khusro Pervez , a senior government official , said the incidents took place around the time of the daily breaking of the Ramadan fast , and security may have been lax .

`` At the end of the procession , security should have been more vigilant , '' Pervez said . `` The incident happened because of security breach . ''

Pakistan is a largely Sunni Muslim nation , and the attack on Shiite Muslims conjures thoughts of the long-standing tensions between the two groups in the Middle East and Asia .

Paramilitary forces have been deployed to the streets to bring order . Local TV channels showed pictures of angry people burning vehicles , beating police and trying to break into a police station .

CNN 's Samson Desta contributed to this story .

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Three blasts strike a Shiite procession in 30-minute span

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218 people are wounded , with 7 in critical condition , officials say

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2,500 police officers were assigned to procession after attack warning